{"id":535254,"date":"2026-01-22T19:12:17","date_gmt":"2026-01-22T19:12:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/535254\/"},"modified":"2026-01-22T19:12:17","modified_gmt":"2026-01-22T19:12:17","slug":"casemiro-to-leave-manchester-united-at-end-of-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/535254\/","title":{"rendered":"Casemiro to leave Manchester United at end of season"},"content":{"rendered":"

Casemiro will leave Manchester United when his contract expires at the end of the season.<\/p>\n

The 33-year-old does have a one-year extension option in his contract but the club will not be activating it.<\/p>\n

The Athletic reported in January<\/a> that the one-year extension clause in the contract could also be triggered if he started a certain number of games \u2014 believed to be 35 \u2014 for United in the 2025-26 season. However, after United\u2019s early exits from both domestic cup competitions, Casemiro would likely have to start all of the club\u2019s remaining 16 Premier League matches.<\/p>\n

The Brazil international joined United from Real Madrid in a deal that has cost United at least \u00a360million (now $80.9m) in the summer of 2022. His salary has been \u00a315m per year for the three seasons (including the current one) he has been at United when the club have not been in the Champions League, and \u00a318m in the one season they were in Europe\u2019s top club competition.<\/p>\n

United and Casemiro confirmed his exit later on Thursday.<\/p>\n

\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cI will carry Manchester United with me throughout my entire life,\u201d Casemiro said in United\u2019s release.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom the first day that I walked out at this beautiful stadium, I felt the passion of Old Trafford and the love that I now share with our supporters for this special club.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is not time to say goodbye; there are many more memories to create during the next four months.\u201d<\/p>\n

This season, the Brazilian has played 21 times, taking his total United appearances to 146.<\/p>\n

Casemiro has started the majority of United\u2019s games this term under head coaches Ruben Amorim, Darren Fletcher and Michael Carrick, missing only their two cup defeats due to rotation and the Premier League games against Brentford and Aston Villa due to suspension. He has been a consistent figure in the United team since joining from Madrid, though his performances have sometimes been criticised.<\/p>\n

Casemiro is also a regular in Brazil squads and appears likely to represent his country at the World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico this summer.<\/p>\n

Additional reporting: Mario Cortegana<\/p>\n

Analysis<\/strong><\/p>\n

By Manchester United correspondent Mark Critchley<\/p>\n

Spending \u00a360m on a 30-year-old, giving him a salary of up to \u00a3350,000-per-week and signing him to a four-year contract with the option of a further 12 months would not typically be viewed as smart business. Hence why United will not be triggering said option in Casemiro\u2019s contract.<\/p>\n

But as expensive as four seasons of a five-time Champions League winner have been, it should not go down as a costly mistake.<\/p>\n

Even though the wisdom of his signing and his ability to keep up with the pace of the Premier League has been called into question, it is easy to forget that, for at least the first six months, the consensus was that Casemiro was a transformative signing. That year, he helped United win the Carabao Cup and secure Champions League qualification \u2014 a vital target his signing was designed to achieve.<\/p>\n

He was also part of the squad that won the 2024 FA Cup, although did not play in the final. Casemiro\u2019s second season was more of a struggle \u2014 no more so than on the night of United\u2019s 4-0 defeat at Crystal Palace, when Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher implored him to \u201cleave football before it leaves you\u201d.<\/p>\n

Yet he was far from the only United player to struggle to cope with the demands of Erik ten Hag\u2019s helter-skelter style of play that year, and after initially being on the peripheries under Amorim, his professionalism and determination saw him force his way back into the starting line-up last season.<\/p>\n

He has practically been an ever-present ever since and, despite the clamour for Kobbie Mainoo to play more minutes, few argued that the Englishman\u2019s opportunities should come at Casemiro\u2019s expense.<\/p>\n

The announcement that he will leave at the end of the season follows a man-of-the-match display in Saturday\u2019s Manchester derby, which was the latest example that he still has something to offer. This season, United have been a better team with him in it. Now he must be replaced. And that won\u2019t be cheap either.<\/p>\n